Man drowns in northeast Minnesota lake

Emergency crews from several agencies responded just after 1 p.m. to a call that two children were unaccounted for and possibly in the water. The children eventually were found unharmed, but the man, who had been on a paddleboat, apparently had jumped in to help and did not resurface.

The man, who was not wearing a life jacket, was recovered by neighbors on the lake in about 12 feet of water after about 20 minutes, said Dave Phillips, St. Louis County undersheriff. Efforts by rescuers and emergency personnel to revive him were unsuccessful.

Traffic along southbound U.S. Highway 53 was stopped for a while so a medical helicopter could land on the highway, but the helicopter’s services were not needed.